


Mandatory Leave of Absence

by solomonara



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, filling in plot gaps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-14
Updated: 2014-04-14
Packaged: 2018-01-19 07:37:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1461145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solomonara/pseuds/solomonara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happened to Councilwoman Hawley between the airport and the Triskelion? Captain America 2 left a few gaps I thought I'd fill in... (obviously, this will contain spoilers for Captain America 2)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mandatory Leave of Absence

**Author's Note:**

> Surely they didn't just shove her in a broom closet somewhere. Personally, I give the only woman on the World Security Council a little more credit than that... 
> 
> Anyway, this is what happened, and no one will convince me otherwise.
> 
> (note: I'm aware there's a Pamela Hawley in comics canon. I'm choosing to think that Councilwoman Hawley is not her. We're never told her first name in the MCU as far as I'm aware, so I just picked one I thought suited her.)

**Mandatory Leave of Absence**

It was probably a bad sign, Councilwoman Emily Hawley reflected, when you found yourself wishing a transatlantic flight was longer so that you wouldn't have to face a simple meeting just yet.

She had been awake for ages, had worked through the entire flight, was wearing heels that pinched her toes, hadn't consumed anything other than energy shakes in 48 hours, and still had no idea what to do about Alexander Pierce.

The car that S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent was on time, too, damn them. It was sleek and black and probably so heavily armored it was a miracle it could still function. With clearance like S.H.I.E.L.D. had, it was of course able to pull directly up to the plane to receive her as soon as she disembarked.

The security detail S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent was a man who held himself with military readiness; he was African-American, clean-cut, and carefully scanning the open area around them as he greeted her with a polite nod and opened the car door for her. She caught a glimpse of the driver as well as she slid into the back seat: a serious-faced woman with her hair pulled back into a severe bun tucked behind her brimmed chauffer's cap. She was wearing sunglasses, but Hawley was certain she, too, was scanning for threats. With S.H.I.E.L.D., a driver was never just a driver.

The councilwoman settled into the back seat as the security detail joined his colleague in the front. The car pulled away and Hawley pulled out a tablet to go over the meeting brief and her own information one more time. It wasn't a long ride to the Triskelion but maybe something would come to her before she had to come face-to-face with Pierce.

Because Councilwoman Hawley, though a highly qualified politician and expert in international relations and security, was no actress. She worried that her doubts about Pierce's integrity would show through in her face and that Pierce would pounce on any uncertainty quicker than a lawyer could say "circumstantial evidence."

There was no doubt that Pierce was playing some sort of game, and it wasn't the typical political game that she and the other council members had assumed it was when Pierce had joined their number. Bad enough that he came with a recommendation from Nick Fury, who had little love and less respect for the World Security Council, but a closer examination of his activities showed just a few too many sideways steps in his path to power: a slip off the grid here, a too-casual meeting with one or two key ranking officers who had nothing to do with his official work there... yes, Pierce was far too like Fury, ready to go off-book to bring his own plans into Council projects.

So when he had pushed for a delay in Project Insight, Hawley had been confident that opposing him was the right thing to do. She and the other council members did not know exactly what Pierce's plot was, but it was a fair guess that it was also Fury's plot, and that anything hatched between the two of them would only be a move to consolidate power in their hands. And Project Insight was far too much power to let slip into the hands of anyone about whom there was even the slightest doubt.

And then there was the issue of Renata. Hawley glanced at her inbox for the thousandth time. There were several new messages, of course, but none were the one she was hoping for. Maybe her doubts were unfounded after all, then. If only she had more time to be sure...

The car slowed to a stop and Hawley looked up for the first time since getting into the car. Her eyes widened but before she could so much as shoot an accusing glare at the driver (for this was not the Triskelion, no indeed) she heard the distinct click of a gun being readied. The driver had turned around in her seat and was holding a compact gun on her, eyes steady and expression grim. She'd removed her cap and sunglasses and Hawley cursed herself for a fool as she recognized Natasha Romanov.

The passenger door opened and Hawley was grabbed by the arm and hauled out of the vehicle. The man she'd taken as security detail also had a firearm drawn on her and she backed against the car, hands raised and resting behind her head to show that she was no threat. She half expected to suddenly recognize the man as some other of Fury's ridiculous team of Avengers, but no, this man she did not know.

Natasha came around the car, weapon still drawn, and eyed the councilwoman critically.

"Good, but my necklace isn't an exact match. I'm going to have to borrow your jewelry, councilwoman," she said, and Hawley began to see the plan.

"Would I be correct in surmising that you intend to replace me at this afternoon's meeting regarding the launch of Project Insight?" she asked, brain whirring in almost dizzying relief. If they had wanted to attack any of the council members they could have simply hijacked them between airport and Triskelion as they had done her. And if they were under orders from Pierce, or working with him, they wouldn't need her for access to the meeting. So Pierce must be their target. Good. She could work with this.

Natasha did not answer her, but went around to the back of the car and popped the trunk, leaving her under the sole guard of the unknown man.

"I feel it's only fair to tell you that my cufflink, which I currently have my finger on, is a button which will summon a police strike force within ten minutes," Hawley stated mildly.

The man scowled and made an aggressive step forward. Natasha whipped back around, half dressed in an exact replica of Hawley's own suit, weapon drawn once more.

"So why haven't you used it?" Natasha asked.

"'Cause she's bluffing," the man said.

"I assure you I am not. However, I believe our ends may be similar. So allow me to tell you what I am going to do for you. And then I will tell you what you are going to do for me. And if, at the end of our discussion we have not reached an agreement, _then_ I will push the button. Though I don't doubt you could handle any police force that arrived, I suspect that you do not want to draw that kind of attention to yourselves at the moment."

The man rolled his eyes, but Natasha said, "You have until I'm finished getting dressed," and proceeded to deliberately button up her blouse, eyes never leaving Hawley's.

"I have information on Alexander Pierce you might find helpful," Hawley very briefly outlined the litany of slightly suspicious activities she'd dredged up on Pierce.

"Lady, that's kiddie league stuff. The dirt we've got on Pierce is so far beyond-"

"Sam," Natasha cautioned. Sam clammed up. Natasha shifted her eyes back to Hawley, adjusting the sleeves on her copy of the blue suit's jacket. "He's right though. None of that is enough to make most politicians bat an eye. Why are you really watching him?"

"There is one more thing - I don't have corroborating evidence on this, but I'm fairly certain... Tell me, does the name Renata Marin mean anything to you?"

"Running out of time, lady," Sam told her as Natasha slipped on one shoe, then the other. Hawley wondered if Natasha's shoes pinched her feet as badly as her own did.

"I suppose you wouldn't. She was Alexander Pierce's housekeeper, and she's vanished. Friends of hers in the city said that they received a text from her stating that she was going to visit her family in Barcelona. Except, she doesn't _have_ any family in Barcelona. There was an aunt, but she died last year. Renata did not even take any time off to attend the funeral; they weren't close. I suspect Renata came across something she shouldn't have, and Pierce had her... removed."

Natasha raised her eyebrows. "That's a considerable accusation. You mind sharing with us how a member of the World Security Council comes to know so much about a secretary's housekeeper?"

Hawley's answering smile was slightly hard. "I make it a point to keep an eye on young women solely dependent on unscrupulous men in positions of power."

"Yeah, you're a real saint. That's why you almost nuked Manhattan a few years back."

"Miss Romanov, I can only say that given the same information in the same situation, I would make the same call: from the perspective of the World Security Council, that was the only method of ensuring the safety of the planet. I would not reasonably expect any responsible party to put the fate of several billion people in the hands of a completely untested group of individuals with psych evaluations ranging from 'questionable' to 'dangerous.'

"That being said, you are correct. I can't keep an eye on every young woman who finds herself on the periphery of a very dangerous world, much as I might want to. But I can keep an eye on the ones who might notice small, important details in the home lives of their employers. And I can offer certain opportunities to any of them who display aptitude."

"Are you saying Renata Marin was on your payroll?"

Hawley shook her head. "No. Not yet, anyway. The housekeepers and some other members of staff of each of the other members of the Council are, though, as well as a young woman named Alice, who I helped out of a particularly unpleasant circumstance involving a senator a few years back. Alice - coincidentally, you understand - was in a relationship with Renata and was distinctly distressed at the rather impersonal text she received, ostensibly from Renata, regarding her abrupt departure. Alice said it wasn't like her at all, and that Renata didn't call on her way home from work as she usually did the night she vanished.

"Now, Secretary Pierce was not aware of this relationship - according to Alice, Renata felt she shouldn't mention it because Pierce generally aligns with a more conservative political party, and she didn't want things getting uncomfortable. So, for all Pierce knew, Renata just had a few friends here in the States: no significant other and no family. No one that would require a more elaborate cover story. And so he erased her. Without consequence."

"Without consequence so far," Natasha corrected her. "So you want Pierce removed because he's a murderer - maybe - and it has nothing to do with politics?"

"Don't be ridiculous, of course there are politics involved. This is just one of those happy, rare circumstances in which the politics align with doing the right thing."

"Natasha, we're on a timetable here," Sam warned. Natasha nodded.

"Well, councilwoman, nothing you've told us has changed any of our plans. If it makes you feel any better, you have convinced me you're on the right side. So if you would please allow me to scan you and then stuff yourself into this trunk, we'll be on our merry way. And you can rest peacefully knowing that justice will be done without you," Natasha said with a sardonic little half smile.

Councilwoman Hawley obligingly spread her arms so that Natasha could run her scan - it wasn't technology she'd ever seen before, but she could guess it had something to do with her disguise.

"Now, that hardly seems fair," Hawley said as Natasha scanned her. "Here I've been kind enough to not alert the police, I have given you a wealth of trustworthy intelligence including highly sensitive information about my own data-gathering networks - and most of this was information you have already independently verified so you know I am genuinely cooperating with you. I think you can find a more comfortable holding area for me than the boot of a car."

"If it helps, we could drug you," Sam said, clearly annoyed that this was taking so long.

"Perhaps I could offer you a place to stay when this is all over?" the councilwoman suggested. "In exchange for, say, leaving me out of the way at a nice day spa rather than drugged and stowed with the spare tire."

"That's real nice of you and all, lady, but we're not really interested in slumber parties," Sam said.

"Oh dear. Where did you find this one, Miss Romanov? He's simply delightful." At Natasha's impatient gesture, Hawley turned so she could scan her back. "Young man, in order to take down Alexander Pierce, you are going to have to expose him to the world for what he is - whatever that might be. Exposing Pierce's secrets means exposing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets. Exposing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets means exposing your own. Miss Romanov knows this. So if you need a place to rebuild afterward," Hawley turned back around and caught Natasha's eyes. "Know that you have a safe place with me."

Natasha stepped forward and Hawley thought for one brief, astonished moment that she was going to embrace her - but instead Natasha simply reached around and unclasped her necklace, refastening it around her own neck.

"Ready," she told Sam.

"Finally. So what are we doing with her majesty, here?"

Natasha cocked her head and looked appraisingly at Hawley. "Oh, we're running a little ahead of schedule. I think we have time for a quick detour."

 *

_Several hours later, at the Sakura Day Spa..._

Emily Hawley stretched and wiggled her toes luxuriously one more time, just because she could. They were freshly pedicured, she had been massaged and shampooed to within an inch of her life, and she was now basking in the fact that she could finally legitimately relax because there was literally nothing else she could do: the fate of the world was in the hands of people who were far better equipped to handle it in these circumstances than she was.

On the way here, she had inquired into the whereabouts of the original team S.H.I.E.L.D. had sent to pick her up, who Natasha and Sam had replaced. Apparently, Captain America had simply explained the situation to them and they'd agreed to stand down. Councilwoman Hawley had shaken her head at that. The man was dangerous.

Sam had taken her phone, her tablet, her secondary phone, her wallet, and her jacket for good measure to ensure she'd stay put. Natasha had bustled her in the door of a little spa located just off the Potomac, smacked down a black AmEx on the counter, and entreated the staff to take care of her dear old granny for the day - the _whole_ day mind you, and don't let granny wander off anywhere.

Hawley had bristled just a bit at the 'granny' part of that, but got her own back by pinching Natasha's cheek in a vigorous approximation of grandmotherly affection before Natasha and Sam took off to save the world.

Now she was lying in a comfortable spa chair, with cucumbers on her eyes for some obscure reason she couldn't begin to fathom, and thinking that maybe if she made more time for vacation she'd be a lot less likely to nuke a city the next time the opportunity came up. Maybe she should move to write mandatory relaxation time into the Council's bylaws.

This pleasant train of thought was interrupted, though, by the abrupt collapse of a decent portion of the ceiling. As the screams of the staff faded and the plaster dust settled, Hawley sat up and peeled one cucumber off of her eye to appraise the newly-formed skylight.

Seeing its general size and shape, she peeled the other cucumber off of her other eye and looked down at the thing that had made the hole.

There were only two things the councilwoman was aware of that could land with such finality, that could make a clean hole through anything in their way and come to rest with that absolutely terminal cessation of movement, leaving not even a vibration behind. One of those things was in Asgard.

And here was the other.

Councilwoman Hawley sighed, got to her feet, and dusted off her robe. A quick look around told her that, miraculously, no one had been hurt. She knelt in the rubble and used the sleeve of her robe to brush a bit of plaster off of Captain America's shield.

"Well," she said. "Looks like it's time to get back to work."

 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed that little trip into my headcanon. I suppose I can understand not telling us explicitly what happened to the councilwoman, but I was really surprised they didn't give us an after-credits shot of the shield or something. I was concerned about it!
> 
> Incidentally, I am terrible at placing accents and had no idea what to do about Renata's origins or surname. However, I know Renata is an Italian name (or at least, I have known Italian women with that name) so I gave her an Italian surname, but relatives in Spain... I think in my head I decided she's from Sardinia. Of course the actress who plays her is Yugoslavian I think... Um, anyway, I hope I did all right.


End file.
